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THE BRIDE WORE STARLIGHT
Seven Brides for Seven Cowboys #3
Lizbeth Selvig
Releasing on February 9. 2016
Avon Impulse
Once comfortable on stage in front of thousands, Joely
Crockett is now mortified at the thought of walking—or rolling—down the aisle
at her sisters’ wedding. Scarred and wheelchair-bound, the former beauty queen
has lost more than the ability to walk—she’s lost her fire. But when one
handsome, arrogant guest accuses her of milking her injuries and ignites her
ire, Joely finally starts to feel truly alive again, and soon it’s impossible
for her to resist her heart’s desire.
Alec Morrissey knows a little something about loss. A
famous rodeo cowboy before he was injured in Iraq, he’s managed to create
something of a normal life, even if it’s not the one he always imagined.
Encountering stunning but damaged Joely, he sees a kindred spirit who can learn
from his mistakes.
As these two healing souls begin to fall in love under
the Wyoming stars, they must discover if they are willing to give in to the
tragedies of life or fight for a future together.
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Excerpt
The contact with Alec’s strong, long-fingered hand didn’t do anything to quell the annoyance dancing in her stomach. Or was it attraction? Or just a very long time since a man had taken her hand?
He tugged gently and braced his feet so she could stand and get her solid leg beneath her.
Her eyes came level with his tie. That put him at roughly six feet, she thought inanely, although, in truth, no thoughts but inane ones filled her head. Up close his eyes shone a dark, rich amber, and his full, upturned lips made him appear prone to smiling. His hat looked so natural on him he might well have been born with it on.
He held out his right elbow. “Just think of me as a human hiking stick.”
He hadn’t said “cane.” He hadn’t said “crutch.” She offered a tentative, grateful smile, took a deep breath, and nodded.
What could have been horribly awkward turned out to be an easy partnership. Alec seemed to know instinctively how to step where she needed him for support, and his arm offered a perfect grip that she could lean into as firmly as she wanted. It took a dozen or so strides to get the coordination right, but slowly she figured out how to step firmly with her right leg and use Alec’s weight to help swing and step quickly with her left. She’d walked like this with crutches, but this felt so quasi normal—she almost enjoyed it.
Almost.
They came to the stairs, and she froze. A flat path was easy. Going up stairs was awkward but doable. But going down threw her weight forward, and she didn’t have the strength or balance to keep from pitching headfirst down the flight.
“We’re doing great,” he said. “There are only six.”
“We’re doing fine,” he’d said. She didn’t know this man from any random person, and yet he knew how to speak as if they’d been doing this forever.
“I really should have a body on the other side, too,” she admitted reluctantly. “I suck at stairs.”
“Here’s the deal.” He removed her hand from his elbow and held it, then wrapped his right arm loosely around her waist. “It’s your balance that’s got you spooked. You haven’t practiced with it, but your left leg is strong enough. Trust yourself. You know the drill: bad leg—”
“First,” she finished. “Yes. But it doesn’t hold my weight.”
“Eventually it will, but for now we’ll step together, and you lean into me when you’re using that leg.”
How did he know so effortlessly what to do? He’d probably had plenty of bangs and bruises when he’d been on the rodeo circuit—maybe this was second nature for him.
They navigated the stairs like they’d been doing it for years. She’d never have made it on her own, and such an exercise had been clunky at best with a physical therapist. When she stood at the bottom without aid of a crutch or two side walkers, her satisfaction had to rival that of any successful mountain climber’s.
“Wow,” she said, unable to keep the pleasure from her voice.
“Why are you surprised? You’re a ranch girl; you’re tough.”
What I thought about The Bride Wore Starlight
I was immediately intrigued by this book after reading the blurb. I haven't read anything from this author before, but I thought that a romance between two persons dealing with a disability could make for some interesting reading. It's definitely not a typical romance plot and I liked that about it.
Joely is struggling a bit with her change of circumstances and being a wheelchair user is not the worst of it. While she's trying not to get too down about her situation, it just isn't all that easy for her to just get over it. Her life changed dramatically. When she meets Alec at her sister's wedding, she doesn't know him, and he's a bit abrasive, but he is what she needs. He's not letting her wallow in self-pity for long and he gives her the push she needs to really start dealing with her new life.
It was easy to get lost in Joely and Alec's journey to find and make a new life for themselves after their injuries. Their story is very poignant and not always easy to take. I liked that about the story. The ending wrapped up a bit too quickly for me and there were some issues for me with the voice of the characters, and that's why I didn't rate this five stars. Overall, this was a nice read about two people learning to love each other and themselves while overcoming challenges and that was wonderful.
ARC provided for review.
Lizbeth Selvig lives in Minnesota with her best friend
(aka her husband), and a gray Arabian gelding. After working as a
newspaper journalist and magazine editor, and raising an equine veterinarian
daughter and a talented musician son, she won RWA’s prestigious Golden Heart®
Contest in 2010 with her contemporary romance The Rancher and the Rock Star. In
her spare time, she loves to hike, quilt, read, horseback ride, and spend time
with her new granddaughter. She also has four-legged grandchildren—more than
twenty—including a wallaby, two alpacas, a donkey, a pig, a sugar glider, and
many dogs, cats, and horses (pics of all appear on her website
www.lizbethselvig.com). She loves connecting with readers—contact her any time!
1 comment:
Thank you for featuring and reviewing THE BRIDE WORE STARLIGHT!
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